In piezoelectric microdeposition (PMD) apparatuses, machine down time resulting from switching out ineffective printheads should be minimized. Generally, when a printhead fails, the entire PMD printing operation has to be stopped so that the printhead can be changed. Once changed, the printhead has to be calibrated and tested on-line to ensure it is functional prior to bringing the PMD back up for production. However, calibration and testing typically takes more time than is desirable, further contributing to machine downtime.